This invention relates generally to storage systems and more particularly to a method and apparatus for facilitating and expediting the flow of packaged goods from their manufacturers through intermediate storage facilities at regional distribution centers.
A distribution center stores thousands of items in inventory and attempts to maintain each item at the optimum minimum inventory level where it will not run out of goods and generally avoid static inventories which tie up money in a non-productive mode. Goods are selected for and shipped to retail outlets according to each outlet's needs. These needs are based on maintaining flexible but preestablished inventory levels to insure meeting and satisfying the demand of the consuming public serviced by that retail outlet.
Goods are stored in different areas within the distribution center depending on the nature of the products. There is room temperature storage for canned goods and non-food items; there are refrigerated storage areas for fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products, meats and meat products, floral and garden products; special banana rooms for ripening and storing banana; frozen storage areas for ice cream products and for frozen foods; special enclosed areas for sensitive items such as tobacco products, photographic supplies, beauty and health aid items; and isolated storage areas for combustibles and toxic garden sprays.
The distribution center constantly addresses the problems of maintaining minimum but adequate inventories, moving them into and out of storage quickly and efficiently, at lowest possible labor cost, holding its fleets of material handling equipment to barest but adequate minimums, and is especially concerned with optimum utilization of available storage space. Furthermore, it is important to store the vast array of goods in such a manner that each item is readily accessible.
It is also desirable that the products be stored in such a way that they are removed in inverse order of time of receipt, that is, items received at a given date move into the distribution chain before replacement items received at a subsequent date.
Another important requirement is that items be warehoused within the distribution center in a location pattern that permits rapid access with minimum labor for item selection for transfer to an accumulation area as a prelude to loading trucks for transport of these items to their respective retail outlets.
Present practice to accomplish these objectives includes placing packaged goods on standard sized pallets and then positioning these pallets on racks so that each space in the rack holds one pallet. The height of the racks is limited by the ceiling height of the storage building and by the height that a forklift can lift a pallet. Normally, ceiling height is the limiting factor.
In an attempt to achieve the above stated objectives, a number of known rack type storage systems have been designed each seeking improved efficiencies in performance.